Hungry Like a Wolf

Michael Trevino’s got the wolf gene. The 25-year-old actor, who stars as alpha-male Tyler Lockwood on the CW’s The Vampire Diaries, is set to undergo a major transformation that will inevitably turn his human character into a werewolf. Trevino shared all of the hairy details (sorry!) about the show with Kidult.

What’s coming up for your character, Tyler Lockwood, in this season’s remaining episodes?

Tyler is going to evolve. In the beginning of the season he was ruthless and mean to everybody, and now he’s kind of questioning himself. He’s at the stage where he doesn’t know what his issue is, so he’s his own worst enemy—he reacts violently, but then questions himself right after.

Is it true that Tyler is going to turn into a werewolf on the show?

If you’ve read the books, you know that Tyler eventually turns into a werewolf. That will inevitably happen (on the show), but I think it will happen in season 2. Before any of that happens, we’re going to get into the Lockwood family in general, and Tyler’s daddy issues. We’re going to be able to see his relationship with his father and mother, and how he comes from this dysfunctional family.

Are you excited to play that?

Absolutely! Tyler, especially at the beginning of the season, is not really a likeable character because everything he does is unwarranted. So getting into the family and where he comes from—and seeing how his father acts—I think it’s going to validate why Tyler is the way he is. It’s going to show some humanity, so I can’t wait to show that part.

Will your werewolf be cooler than Taylor Lautner’s werewolf in Twilight: New Moon?

With all due respect to Taylor Lautner and his 18-pack abs, my werewolf is going to be 100 times cooler! This is going to be a whole different kind of werewolf. And right now, there’s a ton of werewolf stuff going on—series that are in development and werewolf spinoffs. I’ve got a lot to go up against. Just like Paul Wesley was compared to Rob Pattinson and vampires, I think I’m going to be thrown into the mix as far as werewolves go—so I’m kind of excited for that, because everybody’s got their different take on the vampire genre and werewolf genre.

Are they making you bulk up and build muscle for your transformation?

I haven’t been approached with any kind of physical training that’s required. I’ll speak with the producers beforehand and I’ll say, “Where are we going with Tyler?” If I do need to train, I definitely will.

What’s the most fun you’ve had hanging out with your VD cast members this season on your downtime?

Right after New Year’s we all went to Las Vegas for Nina’s (Dobrev) 21st birthday, so that was a ton of fun! We left Saturday morning, came back Sunday afternoon, but it was a real good time for all of us just to kind of let loose and relax and hang out together.

What movie are you most looking forward to seeing this year?

I am looking forward to The Wolfman because it looks really good and it’s got a great cast!

What team are you rooting for at this weekend's Super Bowl?

I’m torn, because the Indianapolis Cults have won before, but Peyton Manning is probably the best Quarterback that’s ever played the game. He really needs another ring to be put on that level of “Greatest Quarterback ever.” But it would be nice for the New Orleans Saints to win for the city of New Orleans—and I’m a big Reggie Bush fan because he came from USC and that’s my favorite college team. I’m going to have to go with the Saints.

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